The Roman Empire and Its Effects on Language

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Transcript of The Roman Empire and Its Effects on Language

Angela Katoski and Signe Braafladt Roman Soldiers Trade Geography The Roman Empire and Its Effects on Language Thesis:The Roman Empire established a language that solidified its effect on the languages of the world today through the high percentage of interaction between frontier cultures and the culture of the roman soldiers, trade, and geography. Indo-European Language Tree Background Information Photo Courtesy of: Weekly News Update The Roman Empire "Vulgar Latin" Latin root: vulgusMeaning: referring to the common people Roman soldiers spoke Vulgar Latin beef, corn, glassware, iron, lead, leather, marble, olive oil, perfumes, purple dye, silk, silver, spices, timber, tin and wine Main Trade Products: The Roman Empire spread its language, Latin, through trade with various surrounding countries. Some of these countries were conquered by Rome, but not all were.(Trueman) Hispania, now known as Spain, traded with Rome. After the Punic wars, it became a part of the Roman Empire and was "Romanized." Trade before the Punic Wars required communication between the people of Hispania and Rome. Certain people needed to know how to speak latin even before it was conquered. One trade material that was rich in Spain: metals to mine After the Roman invasion, Latin was required as the official language. The Latin that was spread in Hispania later became the Spanish and Portugese we know today. From France came wine and pottery that was traded throughout the Roman Empire. Controlling the Middle East meant controlling trade with the East. Conquering these countries meant better trade, but it also meant the spread of the Roman language, Latin. The North African area dominated the grain trade. The Roman Empire conquered this territory for the power, and spread their language in the process. The Romance Languages are spoken by about 10% of the world's population today. The Roman Empire’s stability allowed for development of its own language, Latin, which eventually led to the creation of the Romance Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, and Catalan. The Roman Empire grew as new territories were conquered for the rise of wealth of the Empire. The cultures of the new areas were combined with the new, imposed Roman culture. This led to the mix of Latin and the vernaculars that has evolved into the Romance Languages we know today: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, and Catalan. Photo Courtesy of: Weekly News Update Over time, the Roman soldiers' "Vulgar Latin" and the vernacular of each specific area combined to created their own Romance Language. Photo Courtesy of: Romance Languages Map Spain France Middle East North Africa Latin is still applicable even in the modern world: it is used for scientific names of plants and animals, and, because of its similarities, it is used as a supplement to studying English and the Romance Languages. Roman population was about 45 million people under Augustus' rule, this made up about 15% of the world’s population at the time. ("Roman Empire")- 4 million of the 45 million lived where Italy is now Facts about the Indo-European Language Tree The Indo-European Language Tree shows the origins of many of the languages of today.

Its oldest branch is the original Anatolian language that is documented at 19 centuries BC.

This language tree also includes Mycenaean Greek.

Indo-European Languages are spoken by about 3 billion people in the world today.

(Short) Counter Argument Conquered nations did not accept the new language of Latin, and so the influence of Latin is relatively small.

Nations stayed true to their own culture and completely rejected the Roman culture and language. The people and nations that did not accept the Roman culture eventually combined with the more powerful Empire.

The languages of the territories in which these people lived are less similar to the Vulgar Latin, and have more roots in their original languages.

This resistance is what caused there to be so many different paths from the original Latin. But... Photo courtesy of: Prof. Michael Arnush In order to unify the empire, Augustus gave retiring soldiers land in the newly conquered territories. The soldiers brought with them their Roman culture and their language. ("Augustus") Conclusion Trade was a part of the conquering process, but it was one of the more peaceful aspects of the takeover. Trading produced goods with other nations helped the Roman Empire become more powerful, and spread its culture throughout Europe. The common languages used by the people of the Roman Empire helped unite the nations into one. The wide variety of cultures that the Roman Empire ended up controlling were unique in a way of bringing such different cultures into one empire and then influencing them all of them in a way that spread the Roman ways. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the influence of geography split the united Roman culture and language into different sects that evolved into the world and the languages of the world as we know them today. The influence of Roman Soldiers was great on the development of the Romance Languages. After retiring, soldiers settled in newly conquered lands and spread the Roman culture and language. Their influence brought Vulgar Latin to the edges of the Empire, and ensured its lasting effect. Territories in the northern and western parts of the Roman Empire had once each had their own language. The Roman Empire had a large influence in those territories’ adoption of Vulgar Latin. These nations were separated by the major landforms present. Mountain Ranges such as the Alps and the Pyrenees broke up the once united cultures. Under the Roman Empire trade, currency, and language were all standardized. After the fall of Rome, these different geographical features split the Empire into the areas of Gaul, Hispania, and Italy where unique languages were used. These nations were conquered by newly powerful armies (such as Germanic Tribes), but the Latin language was so effective in uniting Europe that it stayed with the again changing cultures, and changed according the different cultures that were present. The fall of the Roman Empire gave new nations the chance to resurrect their former culture and language, and combine it with Latin as they chose. The use of Vulgar Latin had simmered down towards the end of the Roman Empire and nations such as Gaul, Hispania, and Italy adopted Latin as their practiced language. When these regions that were once a part of the Roman Empire started developing the idea of nationalism, they each unfolded their own branch of Vulgar Latin, which led to the Romance Languages. (Levin) The Romance Languages spoken around the world today can be connected back to the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire's domination over Europe imposed the Roman culture and language on everyone under their power. The importance of Latin is still apparent today, and the Romance Languages are currently being spoken by 10% of the world's population. These widespread languages all developed out of the poerful Roman Empire, and in that way, the Roman Empire still affects us today. Courtesy of: Wikipedia